When He's Gone
by SeaweedOwlBrain
Summary: Annabeth Chase's life was going pretty good. She had Percy by her side and friends that she loved and cared for. But when Percy suddenly disappears, she does everything in her power to get him back. Little does she know, this is a small part in a big upcoming event. (Takes place during "The Lost Hero" Annabeth's POV) I own nothing PJO related/mentioned in this story. RATED T.
1. I Visit Sally

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing PJO or anything else related/ mentioned in this story. All rights to Uncle Rick (sadly)**_

Annabeth POV:

I looked up at the big brick building that I've visited so many times in the past few months. The air was brisk and I could feel it biting at my cheeks and nose. It was a little later in the evening, and the temperature was getting lower by the hour. I wrapped my jacket tighter around my body, trying to keep out the cold. Opening the door, I stepped into the lobby, where a lady gave me a slight nod and continued on her way. I walked towards the elevator, pressed the up button, and waited for the stupid thing to come down. I _hated_ waiting for things. Jabbing the fourth floor button, I tapped my feet against the ground. No matter what I did, I couldn't stop thinking about him.

 _Flashback_

 _"You know, the fourth floor isn't so far away. You don't have to get impatient," Percy stated with his signature grin, "Your feet are going a mile a minute."_

 _He glanced at me, his emerald eyes gleaming with enthusiasm._

 _"Yeah, well, I would've much rather have taken the stairs. It would be a lot quicker than taking this thing." I bit back with a smile on my lips. He refused to take the stairs. He was like a little kid. He absolutely loved pressing elevator buttons, and would fight you and pout if you did it instead of him._

 _He smiled, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Yeah and taking the stairs wouldn't allow me to do this." he gripped my chin and pressed his lips against mine. He tasted like sea salt, as always. I pulled back just a fraction, our noses still touching._

 _"I love you," I whispered._

 _"I love you too."_

The elevator _dinged_ , disturbing my thoughts and signaling me to get out. I walked leisurely down the main hall and to the right, leading to my destination. As I reached the end of the hallway, I knocked on the door that led to Sally and Paul's New York apartment. I could hear rustling and footsteps walking towards the door.

Sally opened the door, and smiled when she recognized it was me. Her smiles aren't as bright as they used to be. You can see the pain in them, as you can probably see in mine. She outstretched her arms, and I obliged, getting one of her tight and motherly hugs. She took in a deep breath and pulled back.

"Hi Annabeth, please, come in." she smiled and moved to the kitchen, opening up the oven and doing something to the stuff inside. The smell was all through the house. I loved Sally's cooking. Especially the sweets.

I walked in, closing the door behind me. I sat on the other side of the breakfast bar, Sally taking off her apron and setting it on the counter. Her hair was a mess, and you could see that she hasn't gotten enough sleep. I can't talk much, I'm pretty much the same way. Her blue eyes were watering, staring at me gently until I spoke.

"How are you?" I asked, even though it was a stupid question. I knew exactly how she was.

"I'm fine, thank you. It's been a rough few months. Are you any closer to finding him?" She choked out the last few words. I thought about all the things that me and the other campers have done in the past few months.

"Jason, Piper, and Leo were unexpected, but they seem to have a key role according to the Gods' gossip," I said, "you hear a lot of it when you know the right people. Everyone's helping to try and locate him." I could feel the tears coming to my eyes again. It's been happening a lot. One escaped my eye and dripped onto the counter.

Sally clapped her hands together, distracting me from thinking any more than I already am. "Well, I have a chicken in the oven, and Paul should be home any minute. Would you help me set the table?"

"Of course," I said smiling. I've been staying here a lot. It seems it's the only place I can get a little rest.

After the table was set and the chicken was out of the oven, me and Sally went to work on making vegetables and drinks when I heard the click of a door unlocking. Paul stepped in, his bag in hand. He came over to the kitchen and gave Sally a peck on the cheek.

"Hello Annabeth. Joining us for dinner?" he stated happily. _I wonder if he got his raise. I did suggest it to the schoolboard,_ I thought. _Or he could just be happy without a reason,_ I heard my other part counter.

"Yes, she is. She's also staying the night, right Annabeth?" Sally spoke. Breaking out of my daze, I nodded. "Paul could you set these on the table? Then we can all wash up and eat."

Dinner lasted about an hour. The food was amazing, as always. Paul did in fact get his raise, as he mentioned at dinner, clearly excited about his day. Sally and I made small talk, avoiding what we really wanted to talk about. Paul talked to me about Camp Half Blood, and what I was planning for college in the future. I picked at my dinner, not very excited to eat, but managed some before Sally glared at me for "starving myself."

Paul and Sally said goodnight around 10, heading to their bedroom. It was Friday, and no one had to work tomorrow. I kept glancing down the hallway, debating whether to face my fears or just stay on the couch.

After about twenty minutes, I walked down and placed my hand on the doorknob. It was cold but it felt like it was burning my hand. I reluctantly opened the door. His room was dusty, clearly untouched by people in a while. His clothes were strewn all over the floor. I chuckled half-heartedly, he was always a mess. The faint smell of the ocean lingered in the room. I haven't visited the ocean in a while. Too many memories.

I strolled over to his mirror by the closet. Looking at it, I could see the bags under my eyes, the messiness of my hair, and thiness of my muscular frame. I crawled under the covers of his bed, letting his smell surround me. There was a picture of us on his side table. I studied it carefully, I've never seen it before. We were on the beach, his hair a raven mess, just the way I like it. I was sitting in his lap, laughing about something that he probably said. He was smiling back at me, his arms wrapped around my waist. It was a beautiful picture. Tears flowed down my cheeks. I missed him so much. I drifted into sleep with his smile the last thing on my mind.

 **I hope you guys liked it.. This is my first ever story, and I have a plan for it, but I don't know** ** _exactly_** **what I'm doing. I've read so many amazing stories and I wanted to try one too. Review so I can know what you guys think, okay? Please? Thank you guys so much for giving me a chance! Suggestions 100% accepted**


	2. Camp Half Blood

**Here's chapter two! I hope you guys like it.. Seriously, I'm dying to know good (and bad) constructive criticism.. I started this as a one-shot, but I've decided to continue it. Anything helps! ;)**

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing PJO or anything else related/mentioned in this story. All rights to Uncle Rick :'(_**

Annabeth's POV:

I arrived at Camp Half Blood around noon, exhausted from the night before. I spent hours with the hunters and Thalia, trying to track down a demigod who supposedly had information about Percy. Without any luck, and a head that felt like it weighed a million pounds, I walked into the dining pavilion to get food. I was greeted by several campers, whether it was a "Hey", smile, or just a look of pity.

The Athena Cabin's table was always crowded with blueprints, books, and lots of papers and documents. My siblings were talking and discussing a new backup protection system to guard the camp borders with a few of the Hephaestus children. Finishing my sandwich, I pointed out a few flaws in the mechanisms and walked to the training arena. I saw Piper sitting on a log, clearly distracted by something.

"Hey, Piper, what's up?" I asked inquisitively, wondering what she was doing.

"Oh, Hi Annabeth," she sounded distracted, "uhm, I was just thinking I guess.."

"D'you mind if I ask what?" I said plopping down beside her. Me and Piper were becoming pretty good friends over the last few days. She even listened to me cry about Percy for a few hours when she found me outside of the Big House a few nights ago.

She blushed furiously. "J-Jason" she stuttered.

"Ohhhh, okay," I replied. She must be thinking about her first night here at the campfire. He called her beautiful. "What about Jason?" I smiled as I asked the question, fully knowing what it was that was conflicting her.

She looked at me, debating whether or not to continue the conversation. With a sigh of sounding defeat, she started her explanation. "He called me a _knockout_ Annabeth, in front of the whole camp. I'm super embarrassed, not even taking in the fact that he only did it because of my stupid mother," she bit the last words harshly. I don't blame her. Moms can be embarrassing. That was their job.

 _Flashback_

 _Me and Percy were out to dinner with Sally for Mother's Day. Percy saved up some money to take us to 'Le restaurant de Bella' , the nicest French cuisine on this side of town. We were all dressed up. Percy rented a tuxedo, Sally was wearing a dark blue, sweetheart neckline dress that reached her feet, and I had a simple, laced, gray dress that flowed out and stopped at my knees. I ordered a light spaghetti dinner, which me and Percy gladly shared. Sally watched in amusement as Percy and I had the same noodle in our mouths. He smiled. This was one of his favorite Disney movies, besides Nemo, being number one. He seemed to say "The Lady and the Tramp," through his sparkling eyes. He leaned in, and the piece broke. I busted out laughing, Sally doing the same. Percy pouted and kissed me on the cheek anyway, grumbling about weak spaghetti ruining his moment._

 _Back at Sally's place, she went into the hall closet and pulled out an old leather book. Percy's eyes went wide at the sight. "No, no, no, Mooooom!" Percy whined. Then it hit me: Mother's Day, Percy, a book, his reaction. It was a baby photo album._

 _"Awe Percy! You don't want me to see baby you?" I teased._

 _He pouted as Sally opened up the book and went through all of the photos of Percy. At the beach, at the fair, his birthdays, and my favorite, two-year-old Percy sitting in a bathtub. I squealed as she handed me the photo. Percy was smiling, dirt all over his face, body, and hair, but he was completely dry. I looked at Sally quizzically._

 _"This photo was taken the day I took Percy to the park. He was clean, but as soon as we got to the park, he fell face first into a mud puddle! I discovered his water powers this day too. Hours and hours of trying to keep him soaked long enough to wash all of that muck off. He did NOT want another bath, and willed himself to stay dry, the little mischief maker." Sally laughed, remembering the picture in full detail._

 _"Mooooom stahhhhp, you're embarrassing me.." Percy said hidden behind his hands. As a blush reached his face, I kissed his cheek with a hearty laugh, glancing at the photo once more._

 _Flashback over_

"Piper, I'm sure he meant it. Yes, some of it was your mother with her makeover, but you should have seen the way he looked at you _before_ the whole makeover. I know that look. He likes you, no, he _loves_ you." I stated triumphantly. Percy looked at me like that all the time.

"Are you sure?" She asked, finally looking me in the eyes. I felt compelled to drag her to Jason and make sure she had a 100% answer, but I settled for, "Definitely."

She hugged me, saying thank you a billion times and went on her way. You can make other people happy, why not yourself? I thought. Shaking my head, I stood up and started walking to an unknown destination.

Strolling around camp seems different when you're distracted. You don't notice the trees, grass, or a log that you just so happened to trip over, landing face first into a puddle of mud. _Great_ , I thought to myself, _just peachy_.

"Need some help?" I startled at the voice, I was in the middle of the woods, who would be out here besides some monsters? Everything I've ever learned about unfair combat was racing through my mind. _I'm on be ground, my opponent is above me,_ I thought hurriedly. _A swift kick to their feet would give me the chance to stand, but just facing them would be easier._ Jumping up and raising my dagger to this new threat, the person raised their hands in mock defeat.

"Mom?" I asked disbelieving what was in front of me. "What are you doing here?" I said, lowering my dagger.

"I could ask you the same thing, Annabeth. Surely you are smart enough to not wander amongst the woods without armour, or at least a decent weapon." She stated, pointing to my small knife. "You are my child, for that matter."

"I didn't know I was in the woods." I dumbly defended myself. "And now I'm covered in mud. Not to be rude, but what do you want? It's not everyday that you visit camp and almost get slashed by your kid, huh?"

"Here, sit," she motioned to the stupid log that was in my way a few minutes ago. She was silent for a moment, until I cleared my throat. "So, how are you?"

I scoffed. "You should know. I know the gods have something to do with Percy's disappearance. And don't deny it, I hear things." I stated pointedly, nodding my head at her. She would most likely say that she has no clue what I was talking about. She stayed quiet another moment, clearly choosing what and what not to tell me. "If you have something to say, say it. I'm not too happy with the gods right now." Thunder crackled. "Enough of this secret stuff."

"Annabeth, what you are feeling for the gods is understandable, but I had no part in this. I'm not telling you what, I see that look on your face." I turned my head and looked at the ground again. She knows how I work. "I came here, as your mother, to help you talk about whatever you need to talk about." She looked at me again, sincerity in her stormy eyes. They almost looked soft. This is not like my mother at all. "No matter how much I personally do not like the boy, he seems to affect you a great deal. Look at you. The bags under your eyes, your body is thin and losing muscularity. This is not how you were raised. To be so pout about some boy who-"

"I have Sally for the motherly talks, thank you." I cut her off, bitterness in my tone. "And as for Percy, he is not just _some boy_. He's saved my life countless times, as I him." I could feel my rage bubbling below my skin. "I love him, and I will do _whatever_ it takes to get him back. If you truly cared about me, you would help me instead of trying to tear us apart, just like all the times before." And with that I stood, continuing on my walk into nowhere, leaving my mother behind me to gape at my new accusation.

 **Ahhhh! I'm so glad that this chapter is over! I got stuck somewhere in the middle, but a friend helped me out, so props to them ;) Chapter 3 will be sometime in the near future, but I'm going on vacation, and wifi is not really a thing there.. :'( I'm working on Chapters 3 and 4, so I'll post them as soon as I can, I swear! Thank you to the few who reviewed on my last chapter, you're the reason I continued this story :D Leave Reviews and see you guys later!**


	3. We Have A Problem

**Sorry for being so long! I just got back from vacation about a week ago, and had absolutely no time to work on this story. And then my birthday was on the 30th, so we had a cookout and went for a camping trip for 4th of July weekend.. I know, excuses.. :( However, Chapter 3 is done, so here it is! ENJOY!**

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing PJO or anything else related/mentioned in this story. All rights to Uncle Rick :'(**_

Annabeth POV:

It's been about two weeks since my mother showed up to camp, and I wish she would show up again. One of the tree nymphs, Kelly?, I think, heard from one of her friends that some weird stuff is going on in California. I'd like to question Athena, but of course, the Gods are silent again. Whether or not the commotion has anything to do with Percy's disappearance, I have no clue. But I plan to find out. I've asked Chiron to take a week's absence from camp to visit my family, which he agreed to. What he doesn't know, is that while "visiting family," I'm taking a few days with the Hunters to try to track threats and information holders, to find _something_ on where Percy may be. Thalia is going to meet me in Sacramento after my flight lands, and we'll head off from there.

I trail off to my cabin to pack some clothes, meanwhile running into my siblings who ask thousands of questions.

"Where you going?"

"Why do you have a suitcase?"

"Hey, Annabeth, are you okay?"

"What are you doing?"

All of them talking at once was adding to my already formed headache.

"Enough! Seriously, all talking at once is giving me a headache! I'm going to California to visit my family. End of story. Now leave me alone to pack." I stated angrily. People have told me that ever since Percy disappeared I've been alot more snappy and distant, but who can blame me? I need to find him, and more importantly, bring him home. Sally has been a wreck, and neither Paul or I can calm her down. We have our weekly chats and crying sessions, but even then it's not enough to make his disappearance any easier to handle. Nothing is going to make this easier to handle. I miss him. I miss his hugs. I miss his sea green eyes and how they sparkle when he's talking to me or about something that he enjoys. His messy jet black hair that is the only thing I can't control, and even though it annoys me, it completes his laid-back appearance. How he spars with me at random times, when either one of us has a bad day, or when he challenges me, knowing he might lose but does it anyway. Simple walks on the beach at night, running from the harpies, or sitting at the bottom of the lake and accidently falling asleep. That was a good one. Rumors didn't die for weeks.

 _Hey guess what? Flashback!_

" _Annabeth" someone whispered. "Annabeth, wake up." I groaned and turned away from the person annoyingly tapping my shoulder._

" _I swear if you keep bothering me you will have something to be bothered about." I mumbled. I didn't know if they heard me, but the touching stopped. Smiling at my victory, I slowly fell back asleep._

 _Just as I was drifting into unconsciousness, I heard my name again._

" _Annabeth, please?" the voice pleaded._

 _I shot up and gave my signature glare to this mystery person interrupting my sleep._

" _Please don't murder me!" They whisper-shouted. I saw hands flashing up to protect their face, and then sea-green eyes peering out in between fingers._

" _Percy?!" I whispered back. "What are you doing here?! How did you get in here?! You could've woken someone else up!" It was a shock to see my boyfriend standing in my cabin, next to my bunk, when I clearly remember locking the doors last night. Not that I mind that he's here, he's been at his mother's and I missed him, but what if he did wake someone else up? We could be in serious trouble. I usually go to his cabin if we're sneaking out, since he has no siblings besides Tyson, but he's not usually here._

" _I just got back from the city. I wanted to see you. And you didn't lock that window over there." he stated simply. I followed his pointed finger, and I saw an open window one bunk down from me. I gave him a glance and eyeroll, and climbed out of bed. He started walking back to the window and jumped out. I however, took the door. He looked at me and grinned. "You're no fun."_

 _I snorted and kept walking to the pier, where I figured he wanted to go. We sat at the bottom of the lake, in one of his air bubbles, talking, kissing, and laughing for hours. Eventually I guess we fell asleep, because when I woke up, the sea was lit up by the sun. Percy was laid across my stomach,drooling all over my teeshirt. I flicked his head and he jolted up, clearly confused._

" _Why are we at the bottom of the lake?" his scratchy voice was totally adorable, and made me want to kiss him._ Stop it, _I told myself._

" _We came down here last night Seaweed Brain, and we obviously fell asleep." Then the realization hit me. "WE FELL ASLEEP!" He gave me an "uh-oh" look at floated us up the beach. When we were finally on land and almost to the dining pavilion, we were attacked by campers._

" _We were worried sick about you guys!"_

" _When Annabeth wasn't in her bed, we went to go ask Percy, but he wasn't there either!"_

" _We thought you were kidnapped!"_

" _We've been searching for hours!"_

 _A few snickered and made snide comments, which Percy's face quickly turned shades of red and then to a sickly white. My face was heated to the max, and I bet I was pretty red too._

" _That's enough, let me through." a booming voice interrupted the crowd. It was Chiron. Percy looked at me with wide eyes, and I returned the look._

" _Nothing happened, we just fell asleep. I swear." Percy stated a little too fast and sounded almost pleading. Chiron nodded and looked to me for an answer._

" _He's telling the truth, and I'm not just saying that to cover myself." I looked at Chiron with the most sincere look I could muster._

" _I believe you. But this will never occur again. Do you understand- both of you," giving a pointed look to Percy._

" _We swear" we both agreed._

" _Not here or anywhere else. Especially the disappearing thing." Percy summed up._

I laughed. _So much for that Percy,_ I thought, _Where are you?_ I was interrupted by Nico running up to me. We haven't spoken since he sent Mrs. O'Leary out to try and scout out Percy's location. That was _months_ ago, and he never reported back.

"We have a problem." he said, trying to catch his breath.

 **I'm going to stop here so I have a better start on the next chapter :) Sorry for that though.. It seems like I should be more than three chapters in, but then I realized that I've been really busy, and ideas I come up with are still in my head, not in writing :P We'll see about updating every week, on Saturdays, or if I'm keeping it to every two weeks. Till then, see you guys later!**


	4. Finally, A Clue

**Ahhhhh! It's getting hard to come up with things for this story.. Help me? Please? Lol here's the next chapter ;)**

 **Annabeth POV:**

 _I laughed._ So much for that Percy, _I thought,_ Where are you? _I was interrupted by Nico running up to me. We haven't spoken since he sent Mrs. O'Leary out to try and scout out Percy's location. That was months ago, and he never reported back._

" _We have a problem." he said, trying to catch his breath._

"Wha- Nico?" At this point, I was totally confused. And freaking out. "What're you- What _kind_ of problem?!" I grasped his hand and ran to Cabin 13. Sitting him down on his bed, even more tired, I sat down opposite of him.

"Mrs. O'Leary." he said.

"What about her?" I was dying for information, and he wasn't spitting it out fast enough.

"Here," he whistled, and in came Mrs. O'Leary with an orange shirt in her mouth. A _camp_ orange shirt. My hands were shaking, and I was on the verge of passing out. He couldn't be dead. He _can't_ be gone. Tears started filling my eyes and escaping faster than I could control them.

"Is he?" I couldn't fathom it. I was crying. _Hard._ I didn't want to. I was the tough and smart Annabeth Chase. I didn't cry. Especially like this. Percy just changed me I guess, and-

"No," Nico said, interrupting my thoughts. My head shot up at his words. "I would be able to tell if he was dead. Me and Mrs. O'Leary have been searching for about six months now. We found this in California." he motioned towards the shirt before continuing. "We were wandering around and all of a sudden she took off. I followed as fast as I could, but then I lost her. Mrs. O'Leary found me though, with this in her mouth. I shadow traveled as fast as I could back here." he said, flopping back onto his bed.

"And you think it's Percy's?" he gave me a 'duh' look.

"Yeah, because there's thousands of Camp Half Blood shirts in _California._ " he said sarcastically.

"Okay, so, he's not dead but he's definitely in trouble.." I asked.

"I would think so," Nico replied. I thought about it for a moment. If he's running around and fighting stuff, does that mean he left by himself? _He wouldn't just leave me,_ I argued. _He would've told me, we're a team._ Percy wouldn't have gone off on a solo mission. He wasn't very happy when I faced a few monsters by myself without telling him, and made me promise never to do it again. He wouldn't go back on our promise.

"I have to go." Nico looked at me. "I have, uh, somewhere to be right about now." he scratched the back of his neck, standing up.

Just as he was about to leave, I asked, "Are you going to continue the search on your end?" He's the only one who's gotten an _actual_ clue.

"Yeah, I'll work on it." And with that, he was gone into the shadows.

 **Nico POV:**

I felt bad about lying to Annabeth. I _had_ found Percy. He's at Camp Jupiter. If I had told her the truth, Hera's plan would fail, and as much as I hate Hera, this needs to work. I just hope I don't mess things up too badly. She's gonna be beyond pissed if she finds out.

 **Annabeth POV:**

I ran to my cabin to grab my suitcase. I _knew_ that the activities in California had something to do with Percy. Even though I had no real proof, I could feel it. I was supposed to leave tomorrow, but I've decided to leave now. There is no way I'm going to miss this chance. My one chance to get him back to me. To all of us.

Rushing to the Big House, I knocked frantically on Chiron's door. He opened it almost as soon as I got there, and motioned for me to come in. I sat in one of the chairs, and as soon as I was going to start talking, he raised his hand.

"You want to leave tonight." he said, rounding his desk.

"How-"

"I knew you wouldn't stay here any longer than you have to. I also know that you're not going to San Francisco to see your family. Not only, at least." he nodded. "You have my permission, but make sure to be careful and don't wander where you don't belong or don't have backup. California is a dangerous place for demigods. Especially after how known you and," he cleared his throat, " _him_ are amongst the enemies."

"But, how-" he gave me a knowing look. "Thanks Chiron."

"Off you go, and make sure to stay safe Annabeth. We can't afford to lose you too." he choked on the last words. He was the one who trained me from when I got here. He was my second dad. And I knew he loved all of us more than anyone could ever imagine.

I walked out of Camp with my suitcase to the camp van with Argus. I said goodbye to my friends and headed off to Sally's house. If I was going to be gone, she was the first person I would want to let know. She doesn't need someone else to worry about.

About an hour and loads of traffic later, we pull up to an all-too-familiar tall brick building. I stepped out of the van with my suitcase and walked upstairs. I didn't take the elevator. The stairs were a much better option right now, I'm already on the verge of tears thinking about leaving Sally for a week or two, I haven't decided yet. I knocked on her door and waited for an answer. Surprisingly, I was faced with Paul.

"Hello Annabeth, please, come in, Sally's in the kitchen." I stepped forward and took a seat at the breakfast bar. Sally was making blue cookies. As heartbreaking as it was, I grabbed one and took a bite. _Amazing as always._

"Annabeth!" she exclaimed, "It's so good to see you again. What brings you here?" she stood and gave me a hug, then returned to the cookies.

"I stopped by to tell you that I'm going to San Francisco for a week or maybe two," she gave me a puzzled look. "I didn't want to take off and not let you know where I was." Tears started forming in my eyes, as my mind was thinking about Percy and how she would be devastated if I disappeared too or didn't show up for our weekly visit. "Because I know you're already worr-"

"Annabeth it's okay." she put her hand on my cheek. "I know that he didn't leave on his own, and that you wouldn't either. But, thank you for telling me." she smiled. "Please, stay for lunch. We'll take you out for your flight after?" she asked.

"My flight is at 4:30." I answered her question. I rescheduled last minute, surprisingly, from tommorow morning to today.

"Well, it's 2:00 now, you can have some cookies and a sandwich, and then we'll drive you out right after." she walked to the fridge and began making my sandwich. I felt bad that I wasn't going to be here for a while. I also felt bad that I didn't want to tell her the real reason _why_ I was going to California. I didn't want to get her hopes up. I ate my sandwich and some cookies before getting into the car and heading off.

Sally and Paul dropped me off at LaGuardia Airport around 3:30. I was an hour early, but at least I wasn't late and had plenty of time to go through security and all that fun stuff. This was going to be a really, really long flight.

 **And that concludes Chapter 4… Sorry for the short chapters.. And not making it for Saturday.. I'm trying to get them on time and longer I promise. Next chapter will hopefully be** **NEXT** **Saturday, as I have plans this weekend. (Lots of doctor appointments for my hand.. Yay.. At least they'll take my cast off..) Don't forget to follow, favorite, blah, blah, blah.. See you guys next time! :P**


	5. Campfires and Laughs

**So! Just in case you guys were wondering, (Probs not though) my cast is off and now I have therapy for three weeks.. Fun.. Anyway, here is a Chapter 5! Ahhhhh I'm so excited!**

 _ **Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns everything, I wish I did, he'll never give it up… But, that doesn't mean I'll give up ;)**_

 **Annabeth POV:**

As I predicted, the flight was _extremely_ long. Did I mention how much annoying children bother me? I'm rubbing out sores from my back because of this kid who thought it would be just _hilarious_ to kick my seat for six hours straight. And even when I politely asked his mother to talk to him, I got the whole "kids will be kids."

I was walking through security when I saw a bright blue sign that said 'Annabeth'. My heart skipped a beat, then realized that it probably wasn't Percy. And it wasn't. My dad, Helen, Bobby, and Matthew were all standing right across the line waiting for me. I ran and gave my Dad a hug, along with a half-hearted one for Helen, and a squeeze from the boys. It was good to have a change. They only think I'm staying for the weekend though, and not for a week or more. I'll probably be with the Hunters for a good portion of my trip anyway.

As we reached my Dad's apartment, I saw Thalia standing by the front door. She was in her signature 'Death to Barbie' teeshirt, ripped black skinny jeans, and leather jacket. As usual, her black hair stuck up at all angles, with the blue strips poking out here and there. Typical Thalia. I hopped out of the car and gave her a long hug, and she was gladly returning it.

"Look at you missy," Thalia scolded. I knew she wouldn't let me off the hook that easily. I knew my body was a lot skinnier than I would like, and my disheveled hair and the dark bags under my eyes were always there. I was pretty used to this response by now. My family didn't say anything, so they probably didn't notice. Which I find hard to believe, they were pretty blunt about everything.

"I know, I'm working on it." I promised. "It's been hard, ya know?"

She looked at me with sympathy and understanding. "I know. And Kelp Head is gonna pay for it when I get my hands on him, let me tell you," she laughed. "So, did you tell the Chase's that you'll be spending your first night in San Fran at my 'house?'" she winked.

"Not yet, I figured we could all have a snack or something then head out. I'm sure the rest of them won't miss you too much?" I smiled.

"Nah, guess not. But, that doesn't mean that we're staying for more than an hour. I don't want to know what would go on in that amount of time. Can't trust those little stinkers," she laughed.

We went inside and Helen already had chicken, peas, and mashed potatoes on the table, ready to be served. Even though it was just about 10 p.m., I guess they waited for me to get here to have dinner. I would have just been happy with a granola bar. As I was filling my plate, Helen turned to me while she sat down.

"Annabeth, where's the boy, uhm, Percy?" They didn't know that he was missing. Or how long. And especially why I was here.

"Uhm," I choked, "He's f-fine." _I hope_ , I muttered.

"That's good," Frederick responded, also taking his seat next to me.

"When is he gonna come here?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah! We want to play soccer again! You and Percy against me and Bobby, just like last time!" Matthew exclaimed, excitement thick in his voice.

"We can kick his butt just like last time too!" Bobby answered. They both went out in laughter. I, however, felt the tears and depression taking over me like a wave.

"Maybe in a while. He's super busy," Thalia filled in for me once I didn't answer. I was pushing the food around my plate and taking small bites when I felt like it. Thalia elbowed me in the ribs. _Eat something,_ she scolded with her eyes. I didn't want to look suspicious to anyone. And I promised Thalia I was working on eating again. For the first time in a few months, I ate a full meal. And I was proud that I actually made an accomplishment.

When Thalia and I reached the Hunters' camp, it wasn't in ruins like Thalia had predicted. Everyone was sitting by the fire, eating s'mores, singing songs, and playing games. Thalia sat down next to a short redheaded girl, and I sat next to Thalia. I was handed a stick, a few marshmallows, chocolate, and some graham crackers. I stuck my marshmallow on the end of the stick, and perfectly roasted it to a golden brown. Growing up in Camp has taught me a lot of things, and perfectly making s'mores was one of them. Two of the huntresses began a s'mores eating contest, to see who could make and eat the most in under ten minutes. A few others were seeing how many marshmallows they could fit in their mouths before they ran out of room. Me and Thalia were watching with excitement, cheering on different girls in different groups. Thalia joined not soon after the first contest, wanting to show them all how it was 'really done.'

After all the giggling and food contests were over, everyone sat back down at the fire. One of the girls stood up with a guitar and started playing. It was just random notes in an upbeat tone, but it was beautiful. Some other girls joined in with their guitars, and ukuleles, one girl even had a violin. Thalia pulled me up to dance, and I reluctantly accepted. It felt good to let loose for once. Everyone was laughing and dancing the night away. I was smiling for the first time without anyone provoking it. Laughing was coming easily. I dropped to the ground in fatigue, Thalia collapsing next to me. She stared at me and laughed, while I joined her.

"I never thought that you guys could ever _relax._ " I giggled.

"Usually after a long day we take breaks. As you can see, everyone has a childish side. There's just got to be other people to help them let loose," she winked, "Being with the Huntresses reminds me of when me, you, and Luke were younger. Running and fighting during the day, and then making a fire and telling stories at night." she whispered.

"Yeah," I responded. "Those were the good days. Before the wars, and gods, and the responsibilities of training every second of your childhood. But," I sighed, "I wouldn't have traded it for the world. I would have never met Percy. You would've never had your happy life with the Hunters. Nothing would be as it would be now. And even though the stuff going on with Percy now absolutely _sucks_ , I still wouldn't have changed anything. This has some small part in a big story. I just haven't figured it out yet."

"You believe that?" she asked. I nodded. "I wouldn't have changed anything either honestly. But Luke, he was one of my best friends. And he was my brother. Just like you're my sister," she turned to face me, "I miss him."

"Yeah, me too." I choked. "That's one of the reasons I'm fighting to get Percy back. I lost Luke and it hurt, but he saved us that day too. If I lost Percy, I'd lose part of myself as well. And I'm too selfish to let that happen." I felt a tear roll down my cheek.

"Well it's a good thing you're selfish because we're going to get him back. Or at least find out what the hell is going on." she had a determined look across her face. "You said that you heard this has something to do with the gods." I nodded again. "Which god you think we can kidnap?" she raised her eyebrows. It only lasted a second and then we both started laughing again. "I'm just kidding. But we will find him Annie." she reassured.

"Don't call me Annie," I laughed. And that was how the night went. Laughing, talking, more campfire stories, and challenges. That is, until we heard something else besides us in the woods. All girls got into a fighting stance to face the enemy. _Why can't I ever have some peace?!_

 **Chapter five is done people! I have been neglecting this story, and I'm sorry.. No promises, but I'm going to start Chapter Six as soon as I can. I seriously hate waiting for chapter updates, so I know how you guys feel…**

 **Read, review, follow, and favorite! See you guys later ;)**


	6. Authors Note: Please Read

**Okay, so. Author's note for ALL OF my stories. I have writer's block, and if you're a writer you understand how much that absolutely sucks. I've been writing and re-writing chapters, over and over again. I'm not going to post a chapter that I don't like, or rushed, because if I don't like it why would you? Anyways, little notes for all of my stories in case you follow one of the other ones. (This will be posted on every story.)**

 **When He's Gone:** **This story wasn't planned out, courtesy of an inexperienced writer. (Sorry, I'm learning from my mistakes) I have no clue what to do next, so I'm messing around with some ideas and trying to put something good together.. I have no clue when the next chapter will be out.. Again, sorry.. I'm working on planning my stories more thoroughly so I don't leave you guys hanging..**

 **Our Lives After:** **Not really feeling this story anymore.. Once all of this writer's block and stress goes away, I'm hoping to just end it in a few chapters..**

 **Why Him?** **: As you can see, (If you read it or got a notification on a chapter update from me) I'm not really stuck on this story as much as the others, but I have future chapters written. The only problem with that is, they need chapters to connect them into this timeline. When I said future, I meant** _ **future.**_ **I don't like huge time skips so I guess I need filler chapters.**

 **P.S. My writing style moves with the ideas I get. I do have other stories with like, maybe ten chapters on my laptop. I don't know if I will post them, but I don't want you guys to see a new story and think "She has time for these stories but not the ones already in there." That's not my intention. Like I said, when I get an idea, I write about it. And sadly, I haven't been getting ideas for my current stories.. Sorry for the disappointment..**


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